Finding justice slow for victims

Communication, resources lacking, crime victims say

Mar. 18, 2012

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Members of the public interested in learning more about the proposed 1/8-cent law enforcement sales tax that will appear on Greene County ballots April 3 can attend any of the following three meetings: Tuesday at noon: County officials will be discussing the tax at an event at the Greene County Archives building, 1126 Boonville Ave. Wednesday at noon: County officials will be discussing the tax with Springfield City Council in the Busch Building’s fourth floor conference room at 840 Boonville Ave. March 27 at 7 p.m.: The League of Women Voters in Southwest Missouri will be holding a forum on the sales tax at Kentwood Hall, 700 St. Louis St.

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Deputies responded quickly when Courtney Daugherty returned home in late December to find her rural Greene County home burglarized.

Christmas gifts and other family belongings were recovered when investigators located the suspects’ vehicle, loaded with loot, just a short time later, she said. “They were casing another house.”

The suspects escaped, but an investigator told her identifying information had been recovered that could lead to an arrest.

It never came. The detective working the case was reassigned to investigate the Dec. 31 homicide of 17-year-old Weston North of Republic.

“That’s obviously more important,” Daugherty said. “But there should be enough to go around.”

County law enforcement officials cite experiences like Daugherty’s as one of the reasons the proposed 1/8-cent law enforcement sales tax is needed. Tax revenue would be used in part to hire 18 patrol deputies, a half dozen detectives and five more prosecutors.

At current staffing levels, officials say, victims often don’t receive the service they deserve.

“Any communication I get is usually through a postcard,” said Tim Conner.

Conner, whose Springfield business was burglarized in January 2011, is still waiting for the case to be resolved.

“They got the suspects fairly early on, but it has taken a long time” to wind through the court system, Conner said. “My suspicion is that’s due in part to the lack or resources in the prosecutor’s office.”

Springfield resident Kay Mills said she, too, waited more than a year to see justice done after being robbed in the parking lot of a convenience store.

“I have no complaints about how they handled the case,” she said. “They got a conviction and that worked out fine. But it would have been nice to have more communication during the process.”

Like Conner, Mills said emails and postcards were the primary means of communication. She didn’t meet the assistant prosecutor handling the case until a preliminary hearing was held.

“I was subpoenaed to testify. That’s really intimidating in the first place, then it was a really confusing process,” she said. “It was just really stressful, not knowing what was happening ...

“I just don’t think there was any time for personal contact.”

Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson said he made changes to the postcards used to inform crime victims of developments in their cases after hearing from Mills. The new cards provide additional contact information and a better idea of what to expect, he said. But his staff still has little time to speak directly with victims.

Conner said he’s had some luck reaching staff members when he calls directly. He said he’s been grateful for prosecutors’ help when dealing with bad check claims in the past, but the delays in the current case have been frustrating.

“We have made a claim for restitution, but that can’t move forward until the court process is finalized,” he said. “And as a victim, when you know the perpetrator is out there … you want to get closure just for a sense of justice.”